Oklahoma U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe and James Lankford were among 39 senators who signed a bipartisan letter last week opposing the Nord Stream II pipeline that will carry natural gas from Russia to Germany.
In the letter sent to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan, the senators urged them to do what they can to prevent construction.
“Nord Stream II—-will make American allies and partners in Europe more susceptible to Moscow’s coercion and malign influence,” stated the senators. “The pipeline would be a step backwards in the diversification of Europe’s energy sources, suppliers and routes.”
They also categorized it as not only expensive but unnecessary and claimed it would “force Gazprom’s customers to pay for a project that would further reinforce Russia’s near-monopoly as a natural gas supplier to the region.”
The letter told Mnuchin and Sullivan that in essence the existence of the pipeline would divert gas exports away from Ukraine.
“As a result, Europe would have less money to invest in real energy diversity projects, forcing continued dependence on Russia for its energy needs.”
Read it here.